THE MIDDLE STAGE AND THE READER 67

Mispronuncia tions

If mispronunciations abound, either that is because a
worse instead of a better pupil has been put on to read
the passage first (an error in the teacher's technique)
or it is a sign that the pupils' pronunciation has been
neglected, and of the consequent need for separate
special exercises to remedy this.

Ruthless correction of every mispronunciation in the
course of a reading lesson is not to be recommended,
if this is going to mean interruptions all the time. If
the teacher finds his class backward or uneven in pro-
nunciation, he should divert periods usually otherwise
occupied to the treatment of selected difficulties.

At the same time it is a mistake to hurry over a
^passage in the endeavour to get so much covered in a
certain time, inspectors and headmasters notwithstand-
ing. The question at issue is not whether the pupils
have nominally finished their course, but whether they
have made satisfactory progress in using and under-
standing English. As the pupil advances, the longer
the passage he should be able to read consecutively with
understanding and a passable pronunciation.

Working upo?i the Vocabulary

We now enter upon our second main step in the
teaching unit—oral practice.

The new words or expressions have to be worked
into sentences. The pupils have to practise their use.
Various devices are of service here:

(a) Direct questions on the text just read, where the
pupil has merely to recall the sentences.

(b) Calling for synonyms, antonyms, or—a more
•difficult exercise—an illustration or explanation of a
word or meaning in English, or of the difference in
meaning between it and some familiar word.

(c) Getting the pupils to put questions to the
teacher's answers, the question to bring in one of a list
of words, or their synonyms put on the blackboard.

(<£) Getting the pupils to fill in blanks in a black-
board passage (prepared on the spot or beforehand) with
suitable expressions from a given list or otherwise.